Shinka
by xxSilverEchoxx
Summary: SasuSaku. Three-shot. Sasuke has been brought home after five long years, and as time goes on an evolution begins. Sakura's kind to him, when she finally stops ignoring him, but not overly so, and Sasuke finds that being in her presence is something of a novelty. She's different from what she used to be, and he's indifferent, as always. "Welcome home, Sasuke-kun." "Aa."
1. Part One

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

_**Shinka **_

~ _**e **_v o **l **_u _**t **i _o__** n **_~

Part One

* * *

When Sasuke returns home after five long years, he doesn't know what to do with himself.

Perhaps "return" is too lenient of a word. More like dragged by the roots of his hair, he thinks. It was in no way his choice at all to be brought to Konoha. Not like the dobe would respect his wishes.

So here he is. Sitting silently in an interrogation room, his hands bound behind his back, his head hanging low, chin nearly touching his chest. The slow, steady beat of his heart is the only sound that reaches his keen ears.

He slowly raises his gaze when the door across from him opens, and in walks Ibiki. The stocky man regards him with cool eyes before sighing.

"Let's just get this over with. You look like you've seen Death himself."

Sasuke finds this disgustingly ironic.

* * *

Sakura first hears of his return when she is released from her twelve-hour shift at the hospital. The Fourth Shinobi War ended not two days before, and she's been working constantly. Hundreds of thousands died, but even more were injured, and it is her job to heal them. However taxing, she is forever grateful that she is able to help.

It's Naruto who finally comes crashing down an alleyway and nearly runs her over in his haste. She hasn't seen him in over four days, since he departed on his own to hunt the Uchiha down. Sakura supposes it took him this long to travel back from wherever he finally found Sasuke. She's been religiously keeping track of the time that has passed since Naruto departed on his own, praying everyday that he was alive.

When Sakura thinks about it, she doesn't really mind if it were only he who returned. It sickens her at first - because hasn't everything she's done been to bring _him _home? - but she knows deep in her heart that it is true. Naruto means more to her than anyone, and she doesn't know what she would do if she lost him.

Even before Sakura sees him she can hear him screaming, "Sakura-chan! _Sakura-chan! _He's back, Sakura-chan! _Sasuke's back!_"

She swears her mind goes blank, and then Naruto is upon her, shaking her, crying over her, and he has the brightest smile she's ever seen him wear.

As he sobs, holding her in his embrace, he chokes out, "Sasuke's back, Sakura-chan. He's home."

Sakura closes her eyes.

"Sasuke's _home_."

She pulls Naruto closer to her, her arms tight around his torso, and she thinks to herself that even if she wouldn't mind if only he returned, she's happy to the brink of tears that both her boys are with her again.

* * *

It's been a week. Sasuke is held by chains to the walls of a special isolation chamber deep underground, where even he knows it would be futile to try to escape. His chakra has been sealed, his food and water rations minimal - kept between life and death, with no way to completely reach either.

He'd rather be dead, he thinks. There is nothing left for him to accomplish. Itachi is dead. The Fourth Shinobi War is over. The Council Elders are gone, and Madara has been outsmarted at his own game by the five Kage.

Nothingness.

He lets his eyes fall shut.

* * *

And yet, something. Something loud and blonde and blue-eyed and quite possibly the very source of Sasuke's newfound troubles.

He first hears the dobe's voice outside of his chamber three weeks after his retu - his _placement _in Konoha.

Dear Kami.

Sasuke swears mutely under his breath, and wills his mind to convey to his guard not to let the blonde in.

Telepathy refuses to agree with him, and consequently does not work.

And so Naruto is allowed in, and Sasuke is thoroughly and completely lashed with the blonde's tears, distress, relief, and, above all, his joy.

Naruto is joyful, and Sasuke is silent throughout it all.

Not like that ever stopped the dobe before.

* * *

Sakura is granted permission to see him two and a half weeks after his return. Naruto's on a mission and probably won't return for another few days or so, and she's a little hesitant to see Sasuke without him. But she figures it's now or never, and not five minutes later she is brushing past Ibiki - giving him a clipped nod - and standing at the door to Sasuke's temporary prison. There is a small window carved into the steel door, allowing her to peek inside. She holds her breath for a moment, and then silently steps so her eyes are aligned with the glass.

The room inside is dark and foreboding. The only light comes from a small light bulb dangling from the ceiling, and it flickers constantly, sending uneven flashes of dimmed yellow throughout the room. Sakura is thankful that the hallway she is standing in is nearly pitch black, so as not to throw her shadow where Sasuke can see it.

Of course, he probably wouldn't pay much attention anyway. He's chained harshly to the wall, his ankles and wrists held tightly in steel cuffs covered in sealing jutsu. Sakura sees red welts appearing where the metal has chafed against his skin. Cuts have found themselves upon his face and arms, and Sakura's fingers twitch in their need to heal.

Sasuke appears to be asleep. His head rests atop the curve of one raised arm, and his eyes are drifted shut. Matted black hair falls into his face, and even from here she can see that it's crusted - with blood or something else, she doesn't know. He's clad in a dark grey kimono-styled top, one that parts to expose his pale chest. That same purple rope she detests is tied loosely at his waist, and black shinobi pants adorn his bottom half. He looks beaten, worn. If not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, she would pronounce him dead.

Sakura watches him for a minute more. And she thinks to herself that she's not ready to face him. Not after trying repeatedly to steal his life. He probably hates her. Forcing herself upon him, when he seems so defeated, so utterly _tired _of life, would just be mean of her.

But as she walks soundlessly away, she muses that she's not exactly too fond of him anymore, either.

That doesn't change the fact that she misses him.

* * *

It's been six weeks, and Sasuke is finally moved to a semi-isolation ward. He's allowed his first full meal in what seems like ages, and he is surprised at how fast he eats. Onigiri and slices of teriyaki never tasted so good before.

He figures it's around the time that Naruto makes his daily appearance, and sure enough, the blonde opens the door not three seconds later. Naruto's face is turned to his left as he moves to step inside, as if he is talking with someone. Sasuke hears a faint voice respond to whatever the blonde has said.

"All right, then, I'll see you later, Sakura-chan!" Naruto calls, and Sasuke catches a soft "See ya!" before the blonde shuts the door behind him.

Naruto has a solemn look in his eyes, and his gaze locks with Sasuke's before he swallows, erases all traces of sadness from his features, and smiles.

"So, bastard, how's the food? I ordered it for you myself," Naruto proclaims proudly.

Sasuke keeps his gaze focused on the shut door. He frowns faintly before finally turning to acknowledge the blonde.

"Anything associated with you is therefore utterly repulsing," Sasuke replies smoothly.

Naruto becomes enraged at this, and they fall into a disjointed, rough pattern of what used to be.

* * *

He's allowed to be seen by a medic for the first time since the night he arrived. That night they checked the basics, made sure he would be fit for interrogation yet weak enough to the point where he had trouble staying awake for too long.

Now he is healthier, but apparently the Hokage has decided he deserves to have the last of his chipped bones and especially tough bruises healed.

It's been three months, after all. And he hasn't done anything to hint at hidden motives or secret plans to try to escape.

Where _could _he go, after all? There is nowhere left for him but here, and even here he is empty.

He's been empty for a quite some time now.

The medic that walks in looks to be around his age - a male with spiked brown hair and hazel eyes, who seems less intimidated than Sasuke would guess him to be.

Sasuke allows the boy to mend the various miniscule fractures along his body, and the few purple bruises that cover his abdomen. The medic furrows his brow as he works, mumbling under his breath about this or that technique or how he needs to repair _this _tendon before he can knit together _that _muscle.

"I should've asked Sakura-san about that bone marrow recreation jutsu," he mutters once. "Would've made my life a whole lot easier."

Sasuke tilts his head to the side minutely, but remains silent otherwise.

* * *

Five months have passed, and he is allowed outside. His eyes throb as they come into contact with the intensity of the sun above him. Even from being around Naruto he is not accustomed to such brightness.

He squints so that he has some amount of visibility, and slowly takes in the world before him.

Konoha hasn't changed much. Here and there, however, he sees a recently recreated building, or a new house where there once was a vender cart. The worst effects of the war have long since past, and now the citizens are left in the stirrings of rebirth.

Four ANBU guards flank him on either side, and Naruto stands a little to his left, anxiously looking for any sign of reaction from Sasuke.

The Uchiha closes his eyes. He breathes in the smell of daily life - fish, cooked meat, bread, a trace of blooming flowers - and ignores the disbelieving looks the various passersby are giving him. They have known of his return for some time now, but to them it must still be shocking to see the last Uchiha amongst them again.

Sasuke exhales softly. If he were someone else, he would say something like, "It's good to be home" or "I really missed this place."

But he is Uchiha Sasuke, will _always_ be Uchiha Sasuke, and so he simply remains silent.

"It's nice to have you back." Of course, Naruto always made up for what he lacked.

Sasuke shifts his eyes to the blonde, and nods.

Naruto smiles.

* * *

Another month kept in the semi-isolation ward, and he is released. Not all the way - he will still have four ANBU guards with him at all times until the Hokage deems so otherwise, and he is neither allowed outside the village nor allowed to be replaced on the shinobi roster - but he thinks it's far better than any room in the Interrogation Ward.

He is reinstated into an apartment, and when he takes his first glance around it he finds it odd that this will be his new home. After having been constantly moving from place to place for five years, he will have some sense of consistency.

Sasuke ignores the four guards behind him, and takes the first step toward his new life.

* * *

Naruto comes to visit him the next day, loudly complaining that Tsunade is sending him on a week-long mission to retrieve valuable scrolls from a village off in the west.

"I mean, where can I get some decent _excitement _around here?" the blonde rants. "I've gotten nothing but boring missions for the last two months, yet Sakura _always_ gets some dangerous, fancy A-rank missions and -"

Naruto realizes what he's just said, and promptly becomes quiet.

Sasuke frowns a little. The blonde hasn't mentioned Sakura since he returned, and seems to want to keep it that way.

"And?" Sasuke repeats.

"Oh, nothing. I should really go pack for tomorrow. It's gonna be a boring mission, but a long one at that." Then, in a whirl of orange, he is gone.

Sasuke sits in silence for several moments more before deciding he is hungry, and rises from the small couch he is sitting on. Ichiraku's sounds surprisingly appealing.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes immediately flash toward a red-clad figure when he enters the ramen stand. Short pink hair brushes against the counter, an empty bowl off to the side, as the figure sleeps, her head resting on her crossed arms, face hidden.

Sasuke's lips tilt downward, and he steps toward her - having no clue what he plans on doing - only to glance up at the movement of the shop owner behind the counter.

The old man places his index finger against his mouth, shaking his head slowly. "Don't wake her," he whispers. "She just returned from a mission. Told me she hasn't slept a wink in two days. Let her rest."

Sasuke remains motionless for a moment before he mutely steps forward and takes the seat to her right, careful not to make any noise. He orders his food quietly, then, with the owner's back turned toward him, shifts his eyes to the girl beside him.

She's caked in dirt. It's dried, flaking away in some places, and there are several specks of what he assumes to be blood on her light pink skirt. Her back moves up and down as she breathes peacefully.

He turns his eyes away as his dinner is placed before him, and he eats in complete silence, chewing slower than usual as he stares sightlessly at the counter. Twenty minutes have passed by the time he finishes, and he rises to leave after placing his money next to his empty bowl.

He turns, then glances once more at her sleeping figure.

Silently, he puts down another few coins, enough to pay for the both of them, and exits without a word.

* * *

The next day, Sasuke decides he desperately craves tomatoes, and heads out at seven (years of being a shinobi always have him up at the crack of dawn) to visit the various food stands a block away from his apartment. He has gotten used to the ANBU guards trailing a decent distance behind him, always hidden from the eyes of civilians.

At this hour there are only five stands open, and his gaze is drawn to one ran by an aging women with grey hair piled in a loose bun and wrinkles softening her skin. He steps forward, into the street, just as pink enters his gaze, and he freezes.

Sakura rounds a corner at the opposite end of the street, her arms held above her head as she stretches and yawns widely. Her eyes move to focus on the food stand closest to her, and she lets her arms fall as she turns to its owner with a wide smile.

"And what will it be today, Sakura-san?" the civilian man asks, smiling in return.

The kunoichi ponders this for a second, then nods minutely to herself and answers, "Two apples, please. I haven't had any in a while."

"Sure thing, my dear," the man says as he picks out the two ripest apples and hands them to her. Sakura pays him, smiles once more, and moves to walk down the street.

Sakura's gaze finally lands on him. Her green eyes widen in disbelief - is that a flash of anger he sees? - lips parting, before she blinks and schools her features into a hesitant smile.

"Sasuke-kun," she greets him, as if she has done so every day for the last ten years. "Naruto didn't tell me you'd been released from the Interrogation Ward." Her tone grows a little harder with those words, but then lightens as she says, "Good morning, anyway."

He remains still for a few more moments before nodding slightly at her, expression impassive.

As she walks closer to him, she tosses him one of her apples. He catches it effortlessly and frowns in confusion, but then her expression softens, and she explains, "For last night. Teuchi, the man who owns Ichiraku's, told me you paid for my dinner." She pauses before him, no more than five feet away. "Thank you."

Her voice is sincere, eyes calm, demeanor gentle with the slightest hint of wariness.

Sasuke thinks to himself that this is very odd. This girl in front of him, who he assumes has avoided seeing him since he returned, is smiling and speaking to him like nothing ever happened.

Odd.

He can only nod at her once more, and then she has passed him and he is left standing at the end of the street, a ripe apple clutched in his hand. He looks at it, then brings it to his lips and takes a small bite. It's sweet and crisp, and he reminds himself that he doesn't like sweet things, that he came here to buy tomatoes.

Sasuke swallows, and takes another bite before he turns around and walks back to his apartment.

* * *

He repeats his actions the next morning, and finds her in the street once again, but this time she has already bought her fruit for the day: a bag full of strawberries. He supposes that she must do this every morning, and mentally adds this little outing to his daily routine.

She sees him as she pops one in her mouth, and he finds the fact that her cheek resembles a chipmunk's amusing. She chews quickly and swallows before addressing him.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," she says, and her words are a little scratchy, as if she didn't get much sleep. "Care for a strawberry?"

He nods without thinking, and she places one into his open palm. Then she moves to walk past him, and he opens his mouth.

"Where are you going?" His voice is quiet, hesitant almost.

She freezes, and turns to regard him with cautious green eyes. "To the hospital," she says slowly. "I have work."

Sasuke finds himself maneuvering so that he is standing beside her. With his gaze focused on a random spot on the house before him, he says impassively, "I'll walk you there."

He sees her eyes widen from the corner of his own, and then her brows furrow.

"You really don't have to, Sas -"

"I'll walk you there," he repeats steadily. His blank gaze meets her own bewildered one.

Her lips curve up slightly. She seems tired, too weary to put up a fight. "Okay then. If you say so."

And they start forward.

* * *

Their walk is kept in complete silence, but the view of the rising sun over the mountains in the distance and the symphony of birds chirping make up for it.

Sasuke keeps his hands in his pockets, stride long and smooth, as he walks beside her. Beside this girl with pink hair and green eyes who, before his return, resolved to kill him multiple times and who he almost killed as a result.

When they reach the hospital, Sakura smiles and thanks him. He merely nods at her, and watches as she makes her way through the hospital's doors and disappears from his view.

He shoves his hands back in his pockets and begins to make his way back through Konoha's streets.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, this idea came to me quite some time ago and has been festering ever since. It's pretty much plotless, gonna be a three-shot, but enjoy at your own risk. I guess this is my attempt at explaining what I think could possibly happen after the Fourth Shinobi War ends. And with this new Naruto movie (Road to Ninja, if you haven't heard of it yet) coming out, who can blame my SasuSaku fever?

You can thank SHINee and NU'EST for this story's existence. I've had their music on constant replay the whole time I was writing this. I have a soft spot for Korean boy bands, it seems.

Anyways, I'd love it if you'd review. :)

Please and thank you,

Silver Echo


	2. Part Two

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

_**Shinka **_

~ _**e **_v o **l **_u _**t **i _o__** n **_~

Part Two

* * *

Sasuke frowns to himself when he doesn't see her the next morning, and finally decides to buy those tomatoes he forgot about for the past two days. The old woman who attends to him grins, her eyes squinting amongst the many wrinkles surrounding them.

"Sakura-chan has a mission, if that's what you're wondering," the old woman tells him. "She'll be gone for the next few days or so. Always busy, that one."

The Uchiha's brows draw together slightly, but he remains silent otherwise as he pays for his tomatoes and leaves.

* * *

Sakura is completely silent as she travels through the slowly darkening forest. Like a wraith she jumps from tree to tree, eager to get home. Her mission wasn't terribly tough - an A-rank seduction mission, one of the five or six she's had before. Her target was a lecher in his thirties, and he gave into her after nearly five days of flashing her skin and pouting at him to let her "fulfill his pleasures" in his private rooms. Seduction missions always sickened her, but then again she found it amusing that she was able to do so little and receive such a big reaction in return from her targets - they always succumbed to her in the end.

The only tough part was taking out the lecher's numerous guards after they had discovered her, half-naked and poised over their master's dead body. A few of the guards were skilled jounin; they put up a good fight, and she found herself with nearly half her chakra drained after she finished them off.

Sakura decides to take a couple minutes to rest, and climbs to the very top branch of the nearest tree before planting herself against the slim trunk. She reaches into her pack and pulls out a canteen of water, taking slow sips as she surveys the area around her.

The sun is slowly making its decent through the sky, having nearly reached the tip of a mountain range as it dips lower. Sakura guesses the time to be around seven o'clock or so. She wonders if Naruto has returned from his mission yet, and then yawns quietly.

Not two seconds later, she stiffens at the pulsing of unfamiliar chakra, and soundlessly moves to tuck her canteen back in her bag, pulling out a kunai in one hand and several poisoned senbon in the other.

There's ten of them, she quickly determines. They're stealthy, fluid in their movements, and Sakura catches the gleam of a forehead protector about forty feet away with a distinct slash through the outline of a rock.

Sakura runs through the images from the current Bingo Book she has committed to memory and immediately recognizes the ten men. A group of Iwagakure missing nin consisting of three jounin and seven chuunin, each who have taken the lives of many innocent people.

All of this Sakura registers within the course of three seconds, and then she watches the group through narrowed eyes as they grow closer and closer, grateful that her chakra control allows her to remain undetected.

Sakura draws her arm back and rises into a crouching position, adrenaline flowing through her veins. Once she lets her weapons fly they will be able to track them back to her position, so Sakura readies a path in her mind of what tree she will leap to afterward and then the next tree after that.

They're less than five seconds away now, and Sakura allows herself a small grin before she releases her senbon - two of them fly straight into the soft necks of two of the chuunin at the front of the group, and Sakura guesses that they have about another minute before the poison spreads through their bodies and kills them - and jumps into action.

* * *

Next few days my ass, Sasuke thinks to himself after nearly a week has passed.

He is walking past the entrance to Konoha, eyeing the large gates with disdain as he takes a rather harsh bite of the apple he is holding. Naruto was supposed to have returned earlier in the day, and now it is nearly nine o'clock and neither of his old teammates are back.

Then, suddenly, there they are.

Naruto crashes through the trees, a limp Sakura in his arms, and skids to a stop in front of the Uchiha.

"Where's Tsunade?" the blonde asks forcefully. Sasuke can almost see Naruto's eyes flash red.

Sasuke opens his mouth to respond, but apparently he has taken too long because the blonde is already making his way over the rooftops and toward the Hokage Tower.

With his jaw clenched, he glances at his four hidden guards before following them.

* * *

According to Tsunade, Sakura simply passed out from chakra depletion after she defeated a band of ten rogue ninjas (evident from the dead bodies Naruto found surrounding his teammate) and removed the poison that had entered her veins from one of the ninja's senbon. Naruto found her upon returning from his own mission, and, being the impulsive idiot he was, immediately assumed Sakura was close to death and sprinted the rest of the way to Konoha with the kunoichi in his arms.

Tsunade sighs after assuring the blonde that his teammate is fine and will be awake by tomorrow. "She's a capable kunoichi, Naruto. If she hadn't had that mission already draining her, she could have easily taken those mongrels out. Sakura's a big girl now - she doesn't need you constantly protecting her anymore."

"I know that," the blonde shoots back. "Excuse me for simply worrying when I found my teammate unconscious in the middle of a forest!"

Tsunade smiles grimly, and shifts her eyes to her sleeping pupil. "I don't blame you. But did you even stop to check her pulse or her breathing?" At this she raises a brow.

Naruto narrows his eyes and grumbles in defeat. "At least she's all right," he mumbles.

"Aa, at least there's that," the Hokage responds, and glances up at the Uchiha across the room, who stands quietly against the wall with his eyes hooded and hands shoved in his pockets.

Tsunade shakes her head slightly, a wry grin on her lips, before shushing both of the young men out so her pupil can sleep in peace.

* * *

Sakura wakes up to the overwhelming smell of antiseptics, and sneezes loudly upon opening her eyes to the bright white ceiling of a hospital room. She blinks several times, then yawns and does a quick once-over herself to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be.

Then she grimaces, recalling her fainting after her particularly harsh battle with the group of missing nin, and pushes herself up in the bed.

Being a medic nin, she doesn't need any permission to clear herself from the hospital. Ten minutes later she is signing herself off, then making her way out the doors of the hospital.

She meets Naruto halfway to her apartment, and laughs as she is swept into a crushing hug.

"I thought you were going to die, Sakura-chan!" the blonde wails. "Don't ever do that to me again!"

She chuckles, and he releases her, staring her down with gleaming blue eyes. "I only fainted, you idiot! Geez, you worry too much."

But she doesn't mind that worry one bit, and is instead grateful she has someone who cares for her so much and who she cares for just as much in return.

Naruto pouts. "It's your fault, Sakura-chan! Maybe if you didn't work yourself like you do I wouldn't worry so much."

Sakura grins up at him, admiring the way the midday sun turns his blonde hair into a halo of gold and brightens his features. "I'm only doing my job, baka." Then she sobers suddenly, and fixes him with a flat stare. "You, on the other hand, fail to do yours. Why didn't you tell me Sasuke-kun was released from the Interrogation Ward?"

The blonde's smile falls from his lips, and his eyes grow forlorn. "Is it really so bad to see him, Sakura-chan? You've already avoided him since he returned."

She gives a frustrated sigh. "Why would I purposefully seek him when he'd really rather not see me? Face it, Naruto, he's never been partial to me before and I wouldn't want to force myself on him, no matter how much I miss him."

Naruto frowns at her, an expression of his she doesn't see very often. "He's our teammate, Sakura-chan. No matter how much of a bastard he is I don't think he would've minded seeing you."

She opens her mouth to respond, but he cuts her off with a meaningful, "In _fact_, he even came to visit you yesterday night when I brought you to Tsunade. How is that for not being partial?"

Sakura doesn't know how to respond to this, so instead she just clenches her fist and stalks off to her apartment.

* * *

Sasuke doesn't see her for two weeks after she is released from the hospital. Everyday he's visited the food market, just to see if she is there, but it's like she's disappeared. He debates asking one of the cart owners if they have seen her, but that makes him seem desperate, and Uchiha Sasuke is anything but that.

Of course, he figures it's just a matter of time. She can't avoid him forever. They live in the same damn village, after all.

Sasuke is walking the streets of Konoha, having nothing better to do, when a flash of blonde encroaches upon his vision. He peers around the corner of a building and sees Naruto strolling beside a woman with long, dark hair that seems to be a mixture of black, violet and blue. A large blush stains her cheeks, and her pale lavender eyes are cast downward, as if she is embarrassed. The dobe beside her is talking animatedly, his arms waving around as he explains to her some glorious battle of some sort. The blonde pauses for a moment to glance over at the girl. He smiles widely and slings an arm over her shoulders, then continues his speech. The girl - Hyuuga Hinata, Sasuke remembers - seems frozen in shock before a small smile graces her own lips.

Apparently, Naruto has a new love interest. Sasuke vaguely recalls Naruto talking to him about the Hyuuga girl before, a soft look of wonder always befalling his features as he told the Uchiha how he had taken her to Ichiraku's or how they were recruited to go on a mission together.

Sasuke is jerked out of his thoughts when he hears a voice yell, "_Naruto!_" and then Sakura appears. She jumps from the top of a house and tackles the blonde. They fall to the floor in a cloud of dust, Sakura laughing with glee while Naruto struggles to stand up. Hinata watches them with soft eyes as Sakura finally pulls the blonde to his feet.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto exclaims as the kunoichi continues to laugh. "Something happen? Did you get drugged? Sakura-chan!"

"None of that, Naruto!" Sakura says, her green eyes bright with excitement. "I made ANBU! I just got promoted today!"

Naruto's eyes nearly bulge out of his sockets before he is picking the pink-haired kunoichi up and spinning her around in his embrace. Her legs lift off the ground, and her laughter starts up once again above Naruto's chants of "Congrats, Sakura-chan! I knew you could do it! You're gonna be the most badass ANBU Konoha's ever had!"

Naruto releases her finally, and Sasuke swears he sees the blonde wipe away a few tears from his eyes. "So, do I get to see the mask? Or is that" - he grins, eyebrows wiggling - "_classified_?"

Sakura shoots him a wry smile. "Classified, sorry. But I'm sure you'll be able to tell it's me when you see a pink-haired ANBU walking around."

"I'm proud of you, Sakura-chan." Naruto's gaze waters slightly. "You made ANBU even before me."

Sakura grins as the blonde reaches out to ruffle her hair. "Thanks, Naruto. Now, I shall see you two love birds later" - at this, Naruto blushes fiercely and directs his blue eyes nervously to the ground; Hinata just smiles a gentle smile - "because I leave for my first mission tonight. I'm on my way to meet with my temporary partner."

"Good luck, Sakura-chan!" Naruto calls as she leaps into the air and disappears from their view.

* * *

"I hope she's okay," the blonde mutters to himself the next day, picking at the seams of Sasuke's couch anxiously.

Sasuke pauses in the midst of stirring his tea. His eyes follow a speck of spice as it floats around. "Who?"

Naruto seems to ponder responding for a moment before he takes a deep breath, throws caution to the wind, and says, "Sakura-chan. She got promoted to ANBU yesterday and she's on her first mission right now. Her partner had better take care of her, or I'll kick their ass." At this, Naruto grumbles something incoherent under his breath.

Sasuke resumes stirring his tea. "I'm sure she's fine," he says quietly.

Naruto turns to stare at him with wide eyes, but Sasuke doesn't look up from his work.

After a minute, the blonde smiles. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

"Lion, are you in position?" Sakura whispers into the hidden microphone implanted in her mask. She surveys the area before her with a calculating gaze, and presses herself further into the tree she is leaning against.

"I thought you agreed to call me 'Alpha Male,' Lioness?" a voice drawls in return.

Sakura grits her teeth. "I'm a _cat_. Not a panther, not a cheetah, and most definitely _not _a lioness. Just a cat. And I agreed to no such thing, _Lion_. You are putting words in my mouth again."

She hears him chuckle softly. "Very well, then, Neko-chan" - if she weren't on duty, she would punch him - "I'm in position. Let's get this done and over with. Commence formation C."

Sakura breathes in once, then steps from the branch she is standing on and drops to the ground. The moment her fist touches the forest floor, several of her targets are enveloped in the crater that forms. Two more rush at her, but they are only able to take a few steps before sandy blonde hair enters her line of sight, and her partner clamps his hands over the tops of the two shinobi's heads. Sakura feels the slight change of pressure around her, and then their targets' bodies cave in upon themselves in a mass of blood, crushed bones, and flattened organs.

Sakura finds herself awed - even though earlier in the day she saw him make use of his pressure-manipulating jutsu, the mere feat astounds her - for a moment before she senses another chakra signature behind her, and whirls to take care of her next victim.

Besides fighting with Naruto and Kakashi - and, she thinks reluctantly to herself, maybe even Sasuke - she's never felt so safe having her back turned to one of her comrades. Sakura's only known him for a little over two days, yet she knows he'll be protecting any of her blind spots or weaknesses with everything he has.

She promises silently that she'll strive to do the same for him.

* * *

"Nice work, Neko-chan," her partner congratulates her as they come within sight of Konoha's gates. He reaches over and pats her lightly on the head, and she curses the fact that he can't see her cold glare through her mask. She can picture his vivid gold eyes flashing with amusement underneath the white porcelain covering his face.

Sakura sighs instead, and mutters a quick, "Thanks."

"I mean it, really," he surprises her by continuing. "I can already tell that you'll be a huge asset to us. I'm surprised the Slug woman" - they're even required to talk about Tsunade in code - "didn't promote you earlier."

Sakura is a little shocked by this. She hasn't heard him say such a nice thing yet, and she finds that it pleases her. Underneath the mask, she smiles.

"Thank you," she responds, and this time it's sincere.

Konoha's gate are right before them now, and they nod at the guards as they pass through. In a second they are leaping across the rooftops unseen to the Hokage tower. As ANBU, they report directly to the Hokage.

Tsunade's dozing off when they finally reach her office by way of the window. She blinks at them. "So," she begins, "how'd it go? Was my apprentice satisfactory to you, Anzei?"

Only when the Hokage allows are they able to remove their masks and drop the codenames, and Anzei does so with a flourish, shooting Tsunade a wry grin once his mask is off. "Most satisfactory, Hokage-sama. I'd actually like to request her as a partner for whatever mission you have for me next."

Sakura pulls her own mask off just as he says this, and she has an urge to replace it when her eyes widen. Her lips part, as if to speak, but no words come. Finally, when Anzei's gold gaze falls upon her, she stumbles, "I - I'd like that as well."

Anzei's expression softens, and his lips curve upward. Sakura smiles back.

"Technically, there is no 'requesting' partners," Tsunade pipes in. "But…I guess I might make an exception. You two have a week off before your next mission. Be here seven days from now at ten thirty at night, and we'll discuss it then. For now, let's get this mission report over with."

* * *

"Well, now that our first mission together can be considered a great success, why don't we celebrate?"

Sakura finishes tying her hitai-ate around her head and turns toward Anzei with curious green eyes. He's leaning against the wall across from her, clad in a standard jounin vest with a long-sleeved fishnet shirt underneath and black shinobi pants. His own hitai-ate is tied around his left bicep, covering the ANBU tattoo that lies there.

Sakura brushes her fingertips lightly over her own tattoo on her right bicep, and smiles a small smile.

"You do realize it's nearly eleven o'clock at night and we haven't slept in over twenty-four hours, right?" Sakura shakes her head at him. "I need rest."

"If you say so," he replies in a sing-song tone. "How about tomorrow? I'll take you out to dinner - my treat."

Sakura stares at him for a moment, pondering whether he is joking or not. But his expression has turned serious, and she decides against the former. "Maybe," she says slowly.

"I'll see you and your 'maybe' tomorrow, then. I'll pick you up at seven."

She's too startled to argue, and by then he has grabbed her wrist and is tugging her to the building's exit. She watches the way his medium-length pale blonde hair sways slightly as he walks.

"See, I'll even walk you home," Anzei continues. "Although I guess it would be helpful to know where you live. Care to tell me?"

"Uh -" She falters for a moment, then pulls out of his grasp and moves to walk beside him. "Just follow me."

Anzei turns to smile at her, and her lips twitch upward in return.

* * *

Sasuke finds himself at her doorstep the next day. He heard from Naruto that Sakura returned last night, and decided he has nothing better to do. Maybe he'll ask her if she wants to train with him.

With that, he raises his hand and knocks lightly on her door.

"Just a minute!" she calls, and he hears a quick pattering across the floor as she hurries around.

When she finally opens the door, there's a wide smile on her face which falls in confusion as she realizes who exactly is standing in front of her. She pauses in the midst of towel-drying her hair.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asks. Her head tilts to the side a fraction. "Um, here, come on in, if you'd like. I'll help you out in a second. Just let me finish getting ready…"

She steps aside, and he silently glides into her apartment, trailing after her as she finishes drying her hair and moves to put on her shinobi sandals.

Done with her chores, she turns to address him. "So, what can I help you with? Got something that needs to be healed? Back massage? I told Naruto I only give those out on special occasions, but I guess if you're _really _bad I can make an exception."

Sasuke merely shakes his head. He opens his mouth to speak, but then another knock sounds at the door.

"Crap," she mutters, and grabs her kunoichi pouch from a nearby shelf and clips it around her waist. "Whatever you need will have to wait, Sasuke-kun. I'm going out to dinner."

He follows her halfway to the front door, keeping to the shadows as she pulls the door open.

"You're late," he hears Sakura cajole teasingly to whoever stands outside.

"By three minutes," a male's voice returns. "Forgive me for my unpunctuality. I'll make it up to you somehow."

Sakura laughs wholeheartedly. "Don't worry about it. Five years of waiting for Kakashi has made me very, very patient. In the mean time, come on in, Anzei. I just need to grab my wallet and we'll be out of here."

Sakura enters the living room Sasuke is standing in, eyes widening like she forgot he was there. Before she can say anything, a tall blonde man with piercing gold eyes comes to stand beside her, his gaze locking immediately on the silent Uchiha.

"Uh, Anzei, this is Sasuke," Sakura begins hesitantly. "Uchiha Sasuke. He was my genin teammate along with Naruto. Sasuke, this is Anzei, my temporary ANBU partner."

With a small smile, Anzei offers a hand to the Uchiha. "I've heard a lot about you, Uchiha-san. Nice to meet you."

Sasuke glances down at the palm that is offered to him, then up at Sakura. She's looking at him with pleading eyes, and reluctantly Sasuke shakes the man's hand. He doesn't say anything in return.

Sakura sighs in relief, and disappears into her room at the end of the hall for a moment before returning with her wallet. "All right, then. Let's go."

Sasuke locks gazes with her as she turns to him. "Is there anything you need at the moment?"

Slowly, he shakes his head.

Her eyes flicker with curiosity, but then she tells him, "You're welcome to stay here, if you want. I'll be back in a couple of hours. There's food in the fridge and tea in the cupboards, in case you get hungry." She pauses, then adds, almost humorly, "Just try not to burn my house down."

With that, she and her partner are out the door and gone.

For a moment, Sasuke thinks to himself that destroying something large might be good for him. His fingers twitch, but he clenches them before they can do something catastrophic. He's sure his four guards wouldn't be very happy with him.

Silently, Sasuke lowers himself onto her couch. It's small, at the most able to hold three people, and is cornered on either side by two coffee tables. A medical textbook sits on one, a picture frame on the other. He allows his fingers to grasp the frame, and is only mildly surprised when Team Seven's twelve-year-old faces - along with Kakashi, of course - are presented to him.

Sasuke holds the picture, eyes hooded as he stares at it, for so long that he loses track of time.

When he does finally set it down, he finds that he's tired, like the life has been forcefully sucked out of him. Carefully, Sasuke lays himself down on the couch - his mother's reprimanding voice enters his mind, and he kicks off his sandals - and closes his eyes as sleep takes over.

* * *

The sun has long since sunk below the horizon by the time Sasuke hears voices approaching Sakura's apartment. His eyes flash open, and he listens intently to their muted laughter outside the door. Another minute passes, and then the voices grow quite, and Sasuke closes his eyes as the door opens.

He hears light footsteps heading toward him. They stop about ten feet away, and his ears pick up the sound of a soft chuckle.

Sasuke forces himself not to stiffen when fingertips brush his long bangs out of his face. The footsteps disappear down the hall, but return shortly after and stop beside him. What feels like a blanket is tossed gently over him, and those same fingers make sure to tuck the ends under his chin and around his feet before the footsteps fade away.

When Sasuke succumbs to unconsciousness once again, he finds that it's the most comfortable sleep he's had in years.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you to those of you who reviewed on the last chapter. I really do appreciate it, and I hope to hear from you again. :)

Please and thank you,

Silver Echo

P.S. Be nice to Anzei. He's a good guy, you'll see. :)


	3. Part Three

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

_**Shinka**_

~ _**e **_v o **l **_u _**t **i _o__** n **_~

Part Three

* * *

"Sasuke-kun?" His name is yawned. "What are you doing?"

Sasuke turns to glance at her, taking in her tussled hair and bleary eyes. She's still in her pajamas, clad in nothing but a too-large black t-shirt and a pair of checkered blue sweats.

He returns his focus back to the steaming pan of eggs before him. "Making breakfast."

"That's awfully nice of you," she says softly. Sasuke hears the shifting of a chair behind him, and figures she's sitting down at the small dining table. He stirs his mixture of eggs, onions, mushrooms, and slices of ham once more before twisting the stove off and scooping the eggs in to two bowls. After, he reaches into the fridge and pours himself a glass of water, and for her a glass of orange juice.

Sasuke gracefully juggles the four in his arms as he makes his way over to where she's sitting. He places her food and drink in front her before moving to sit on the other side of the table.

After a quick murmur of "Itadakimasu," he takes hold of his chopsticks and stabs them into his meal. As he chews, he hears her own faint "Itadakimasu," and when he glances up she is taking a delicate bite. He watches as she chews for a moment, and then smiles before taking another bite.

When he shifts his eyes away, he has the strangest urge to smile down at his food as well. But he only continues to eat silently, and when he's done he picks up his bowl and his glass and takes them to the sink. Just as he's about to reach for the soap, she walks up behind him and touches him lightly on the shoulder.

He shifts his gaze to look at her, and she smiles at him. "Don't worry about those. I'll wash them later." She leans around him to place her own china ware in the sink. "Thank you for the food, Sasuke-kun. I think I'll have to have you cook for me more often."

Sasuke can tell she means this as a joke, but the soft, "Aa" escapes his lips before he can stop himself.

Sakura's pale jade eyes widen for a moment. Her mouth opens in surprise, but then she closes it, and smiles gently at him once more. "I'll look forward to it, then."

There it is again: that damn urge to smile back. He fights it down, and instead merely nods at her.

"Aa."

* * *

And he does. Two days later, he makes sure she wakes up to the smell of steamed rice and grilled salmon. The smile that adorns her face upon the sight of him cooking at her stove has him smirking lightly back, and this time, when they sit down to eat, she talks to him of all the things he's missed over the years, and he listens with more interest than he's had for anything in a long while.

Three days after that he slips through her living room window once again, only to find that she's not there. He stills for a moment, his blood going cold, before he spots a note atop her kitchen counter.

Sasuke takes the note in his hand and reads it silently.

_Sasuke-kun,_

_I have a mission today that I left for last night, so I'm afraid I'll have to miss out on your surprisingly good cooking for the next week or so. As a thanks, however, I made you breakfast. It's in the bento box in the fridge. I hope you enjoy it, but I guess you can just give it to Naruto if you don't want it. _

_As a last note, I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad you're home, Sasuke-kun. I was doubtful at first, I'll admit. But now, knowing you're here in Konoha, and knowing that what was probably the most chaotic time in our life is now behind us…you don't even know how happy that makes me. So thank you, Sasuke-kun. Thank you for coming back to us._

_- Sakura_

Sasuke sets the note down slowly, then turns to the fridge. He pulls out the bento box, grabs a pair of chopsticks, and moves to sit down on the couch.

With the delicious smell of onigiri with okaka and tomatoes curling around him, Sasuke thinks to himself that he's thankful he returned as well.

* * *

When she finally does come back from her mission six days later, Sakura finds him waiting at the doors outside the Hokage tower, eyes trained on her as she approaches him.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke-kun?" she questions, head tilted to the side as she studies him.

"I saw you on the rooftops," he responds, stoic as always. "I thought you might be hungry."

Sakura is hit with the strangest urge to scratch her head. "You're here for me?"

After a moment, he nods, eyes unwavering from hers.

Sakura feels a smile pull at the corners of her mouth. "Actually, I guess I haven't had a nice meal since I left. Where are we going?"

Sasuke has just begun to speak when Sakura hears a loud voice behind her.

"Neko-chan! Why don't we go grab a bite to eat -"

Anzei pushes his way through the doors and halts abruptly when his golden gaze locks upon the Uchiha. Eyebrows raised, he says, "Sorry to interrupt. I didn't realize you already had a date."

Sakura scowls at the older ninja. "I told you to drop the nickname, Anzei!" she growls, but there's a hint of humor in voice. However, her voice lowers as she continues, "And Sasuke-kun isn't my date. We're just friends."

Sasuke frowns slightly, but remains silent.

"I see," Anzei remarks. His gaze locks with Sasuke's, and there's a spark of challenge in the blonde-haired shinobi's eyes. "Well then, _Sakura_, you two have fun on your non-date. I'll see you around."

And he disappears.

"Ignore him, Sasuke-kun," Sakura sighs. "He's nothing but a shameless flirt."

She turns to him, and smiles gently. "Now, let's go. I'm starving."

He nods at her once, and then they are on their way.

* * *

"Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke raises his head from gazing at the abundant selection of tomatoes before him, albeit reluctantly. His eyes narrow when they meet identical amber orbs.

Anzei narrows his gaze in response. "I don't like you very much either, but I wanted to set some things straight," he begins, voice hard. "Sakura is a very talented kunoichi. She's intelligent beyond belief, has a hell of a temper, and she's not bad to look at, either."

Sasuke furrows his brows, opens his mouth, but before he can speak Anzei rushes on, "I'm letting you know that if you don't do something soon, I'm going to try my hand with her seriously. And if that happens I won't let her go so easily." With that, Anzei spins on his heel and begins to walk in the opposite direction. Over his shoulder, he calls, "So you'd better make a move now or lose your chance for good. It's your choice."

And Sasuke is left standing in the middle of the road with not a clue of what to do next.

* * *

Sakura heaves a large breath as she stumbles to her feet, squinting up at the blonde across from her. Her hand moves to heal the gash on her right shoulder. It seals up in a few seconds, and then she has secured two kunai within her grasp and is running once again.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Naruto yells. "No ninjutsu allowed!"

Sakura ducks the punch directed at her head, and grins wryly as her kunai cut shallowly across his skin. "That's what you get for using the Rasengan!" she screams back. "You could've killed me, you idiot!"

Naruto chuckles, flipping onto a tree to dodge her thrown kunai. "I knew what I was doing, Sakura-chan. Don't worry about it!"

This time, he's not paying complete attention, and flails as the tree he's sitting on topples over beneath him.

He lands on the ground with a winded "Oomf!" and in less than a second she is on top of him, her gloved hand wrapped around his neck. Naruto gulps.

She smiles sweetly down at him in return. "Apology?"

"Sorry!" he tries to tell her, but the air blocks in his throat and he starts to choke instead.

She releases him, and once he has regained his breath he smiles sheepishly at her. "Sorry, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nods decisively. "I forgive you. Just don't cheat again and we'll be good."

"Hai, Sakura-sama!" Naruto puffs out his chest and salutes to her, and this sends her into a fit of giggles.

Ever since they were young, Naruto strived to make her laugh. It saddens him to know that only after his feelings for her changed from romantic to familial does she truly find it in her to laugh at his jokes.

Naruto smiles as she wipes a few tears from her eyes, and thinks that he wouldn't want it any other way. This, what they have here, with the war over, Sasuke home, and everything as peaceful as it's been in a long time, is perfect.

Sakura's quiet voice pulls him from his thoughts. "So, I've seen Sasuke-kun around a lot."

Naruto blinks before breaking into a wide grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Anything exciting happen yet?"

She smacks him on the arm. "Nothing like what you're thinking, you sick perv. Sasuke-kun's not like that."

"Hey, it was just a question," Naruto complains, rubbing the newly formed bruise on his bicep. "Well, if not that, then what?"

Sakura's gaze shifts to the sky, and a faint frown forms on her lips. "He took me out to dinner yesterday. And he also cooked for me a couple of times."

Naruto's eyes widen. "_Sasuke _did that? The bastard ice queen with no heart made you _food_?" Suddenly, he collapses in a heap of laughter. "I don't think we're talking about the same person here, Sakura-chan!"

"Idiot!" Sakura fumes. "It's true!"

Naruto halts in his guffaws abruptly and spins around to face her. "I think Sasuke-teme has the hots for you, Sakura-chan," he proclaims seriously, fighting down a grin.

Sakura can't help but smile at his antics. "I don't think so, Naruto. We're friends, and honestly, compared to the way he treated me before he left, this is unbelievable. I like the way we are right now."

The blonde hears the sincerity in her words, sees it in her determined pale jade gaze, and sighs wearily. "Whatever you say, Sakura-chan." He stretches out his arms above his head. With a loud yawn, he collapses on the ground. "Now," he mumbles, "if you would excuse me, I'm gonna take a nap. Battling psychotic, pink-haired kunoichi tends to drain people."

She whacks him upside the head, and he smiles contentedly as he closes his eyes.

* * *

"You're hurt."

The words are spoken softly, quietly. Sakura glances up from pouring over her patients' medical readings to find Sasuke standing below her window.

He's staring intently at a spot on her left arm, and she follows his gaze to see a shallow yet wide cut below her shoulder. "Huh," she says, surprised. "I guess I am. Naruto must've nicked me earlier."

It's healed within two seconds, and Sasuke's gaze finally moves to meet hers.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "If you're going to keep on sneaking in here, I might as well give you my spare key."

Sasuke thinks to himself that that's not a bad idea. He wonders what her partner would make of it.

"Can I help you with anything?"

She's looking at him curiously, expecting an answer.

Sasuke opens his mouth, furrows his brows, then closes it. He turns his gaze to the picture of Team Seven on her table, focusing directly on the twelve-year-old Sakura's closed eyes and widely smiling face, and then he looks at the woman before him who has the same color hair and the same green eyes and yet is so very, very different.

Finally, he finds it in him to reply to her, although what escapes his mouth isn't exactly what he intended to say. "Do you have feelings for your ANBU partner?"

Her jaws falls slack, and it takes a couple of tries before she can respond. "Um, I - not particularly, I guess. We're friends."

"Like you and I?"

Her gaze turns wary. "Yeah…like us."

He ponders this for a moment. "You no longer have feelings for me, correct?"

She's silent. Then: "Not unless you want me to." And it's the most truthful statement he's heard from her.

Sasuke nods, rolling this new information around in his mind.

"Why are you asking these questions, Sasuke-kun?" Her tone is weary.

He doesn't exactly know, but her answers have pleased him somehow.

Sasuke shrugs his shoulders minutely. "You've changed," he says quietly. "I wanted to see how much."

"We've all changed, Sasuke-kun. Me being different than when we were children isn't something to waste your time thinking about."

And yet, somehow it is. Because out of them all, Sasuke finds that it is her that puzzles him the most.

Sakura sighs, and runs a hand through her pink locks. "Have a seat, Sasuke-kun. I'll make us some dinner."

Sasuke obeys silently, and when they're done eating he helps her wash the dishes, despite her protests. She casually flicks the water on her hands at his face after they've finished, and his expression is one of such perplexity that she rolls with laughter, her face flushed and eyes gleaming with mirth.

Once she's had her fun, she takes up a towel in hand and gently dries the water off his face, and this stuns him as well.

After, Sakura offers to have him stay and watch movies together, and Sasuke finds himself accepting. Hours pass, and then she falls asleep on his shoulder.

He thinks to himself that this is far too much confusion for one day.

But then he chances a look at her face, with her lips parted slightly, her eyes comfortably shut, and he carefully raises his arm to curl around her waist. His cheek presses against her hair, and he lets his eyes drift closed.

As he falls asleep with her in his arms, Sasuke thinks he must've changed quite a bit as well to actually crave contact from someone.

Not someone, he corrects himself.

Just Sakura.

* * *

She has to swallow a curse when she opens her eyes in the morning, because she's had her body trained for _years_ and she knows she's late for work. She's about to jump off the couch - why the hell wasn't she in her bed? - when a pair of arms tighten around her, and she glances up only to be met with a face full of black hair. She fights the urge to sneeze, and instead stills when the person - it's Sasuke, she remembers, because she invited him to watch movies with her last night - shifts so that she's pulled flush against him.

Sakura smiles a small smile, and begins to gently move out of his embrace. She's down to unclasping his hand from her wrist when his eyes flash open, and in an instant he is wide awake, watching her unwaveringly.

Sakura pauses, then taps his hand and chuckles lowly when his gaze grows confused and he focuses on his hand clamped around her wrist. He releases her like she has burned him.

"Good morning," she greets him.

He just watches her, eyes hooded and blank.

"I have to go get ready for work," she tells him, and when he doesn't respond she begins to make her way down the hall. "I'll only be a few minutes!" she calls.

She's just finished tying her hair into a short, spiky ponytail when she enters the living room and finds him still sitting on her couch. His eyes flash to her when she pauses in front of him.

Sakura gestures around her apartment with her hand. "What's mine is yours, I guess," she says. "Feel free to stay" - she takes a key from her pocket and tosses it at him; he catches it effortlessly - "and lock the door when you leave."

He gazes solemnly down at the silver key in his hands. Sakura opens her mouth, closes it, and then, disregarding common sense, she leans forward and touches her lips to his forehead.

She pulls back to find that his eyes are wide, staring at her, and before she can do anything else embarrassing she is at the door and out it.

* * *

As a medic nin, she is always focused. Always calm, always in control, because one false move - one _miniscule_ wavering of her chakra - can kill her patient. And Sakura is far too stubborn to let anything like that happen.

She bites her bottom lip as the poison coils within the liquid she uses to trap it. Sweat builds at her brow, but she doesn't stop until she is sure every last drop of it has been removed from her patient's body.

Sakura stumbles backward when she's done, the breath leaving her in a _whoosh_. Her colleagues take care of any other injuries that remain, leaving her to rest. Poison extractions are one of the most tiring operations a medic nin can perform, but also one of the most essential to saving lives. New poisons are being created everyday out in the shinobi world, and without an antidote extraction is the only method left.

Sakura smiles to herself as she stumbles into her office, content with her work.

Being a medic nin is a hell of a job, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Sakura is still weary when she exits the hospital, her feet dragging across the ground as she walks. She yawns heavily into her hand, then reaches up to scratch her head. The sun has just descended, and the stars are only just visible above her.

In her gazing, Sakura finds herself walking into a hard body. The force of the collision propels her backwards, but she regains her balance despite her fatigue and instantaneously an apology is evident on her lips.

The words halt in her mouth when she meets a pair of obsidian eyes. Sasuke stares down at her with his eyebrows raised slightly.

"I - I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," she starts, unsettled. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?"

He just continues to watch her, and she resists the urge to kick herself. Of course he was fine.

"Look, Sasuke-kun," she continues, gaze lowered, "about this morning -"

"Sakura."

Her name on his lips silences her instantly.

He looks partially amused, she notes. His eyebrows are still raised, and a small smirk tilts one side of his lips upward. A current of wind passes by, making his long bangs sway.

Sakura studies him for a moment, and, because it doesn't seem like he's going to say anything more, she steps forward and links their arms together, pulling him down the street along with her.

"You need a haircut," she declares.

He's only able to grunt a soft "Hn" as she nearly drags him to her apartment.

* * *

Sasuke sits with his eyes closed, listening to the faint "_snip, snip_" of her medical scissors. Small chunks of hair float to the ground, but most of it gets caught on the large blue towel she has wrapped around him.

He wrinkles his nose when a piece brushes past his nostrils, and a sneeze forces its way through him. Sasuke cracks his eyes open slightly when he hears her soft laugh, but shuts them quickly when pink enters his vision and she moves to stand in front of him. Her fingers comb through his hair a few times, and then she's behind him once again.

With her hands resting gently on his shoulders, she says, "All right, I'm done. You can look now."

He hesitantly opens his eyes, and his gaze locks with hers in the mirror. Her face is right above his, her eyes bright and her smile tender.

Finally, he shifts his gaze to himself in the mirror.

Sasuke can't recall quite when he last got his hair cut, but over the last year or so the pieces of hair framing his face grew to brush his shoulders, and his bangs grew to fall relentlessly in his eyes. Now, the face-framing pieces reach to just below his chin, and his pointed bangs rest along the curve of his eyebrows. The rest in the back of his head spikes up like usual, given a decent trim.

He looks much…cleaner, he notes. More refined.

Sasuke meets her gaze again, and she grins. "I'm sorry if I kind of forced you into this, but you were beginning to look a little savage," she remarks, smiling still. "A haircut was all you needed." With this, she steps around him and leans against the bathroom countertop, examining him. "You look much better," she says, and nods. "Very handsome."

Sasuke blinks at her, then lowers his head and murmurs a quiet, "Thank you."

Sakura laughs once more. "You are most welcome." She reaches a hand forward, and he stills, but then her fingers close around the blue towel, and she pulls it off him deftly. He watches as she brushes together the few small pieces of hair on the floor and, along with the pieces on the towel, disposes of them in the trashcan.

Sakura turns to him when she's finished. "Are you hungry? Because I'm starving, and a bowl of ramen sounds strangely appealing right now."

He only nods, and she takes his arm in hers as they begin the short trek to Ichiraku's.

* * *

"I feel like you've spent your money on me quite a lot lately, Sasuke-kun," Sakura tells him as they approach her apartment. She frowns up at him. "If we do this again, I'm paying."

He merely shakes his head at her, one brow raised.

Sakura narrows her gaze. "I'm not one to wholly appreciate chivalry, I'd like to have you know."

The other brow raises, and it angers her that he's able to communicate to her so much by saying so little.

They're at the door to her apartment now, and Sakura turns to him. "For now," she says, voice wry, "thank you for the dinner. But only for now," she reminds him. "Next time, it's my turn."

"Aa," he replies, quiet as ever, but Sakura sees the amusement in his eyes, and she knows he's not being serious.

Huffing up, Sakura narrows her gaze even more and opens her mouth to argue -

"Sakura."

- and stops in mid-breath.

Sakura looks up, wondering what the hell he wants _now_, to find his palm moving to rest on her shoulder. She freezes, eyes wide, as he raises his other hand to cup her cheek, and suddenly he is close.

So very, very close.

Close enough for her to see the individual lashes along his upper eyelids, close enough for her to breath in his heady smell, _close enough _for her to watch as his eyes fall shut, fingers curling around strands of her pink hair, and he slowly, carefully, almost…hesitantly, touches his lips to hers.

For the life of her, Sakura can't find it in her to respond. She's never been so lost before. She's here, outside her apartment door, and Sasuke's here as well and…and there is _no way_ this is real, because is he _kissing_ her?

No. The Sasuke she knows is different. He's _indifferent_. He's cold and quiet and heartless most of the time, and of course there are those certain instances where he shows her a softer, more placid side, but _this_?

This isn't real. She's dreaming, and Sakura is just beginning to pull away when the hand on her shoulder rises to hold the back of her head, pushing her closer to him.

His lips are moving against hers now, questioning, and Sakura thinks to herself that he most certainly _feels_ real. Gradually, she lets her own eyes fall shut and begins to move with him.

They part after a few moments, needing air, and Sakura meets his hooded obsidian gaze. She smiles at him. In response, he presses their lips together once more before burying his face in her hair.

They remain like that for a good minute, and then Sakura slowly pulls away from his grasp. She places both her palms on his cheeks, and, upon tugging him down to meet her height, places her lips against his forehead, repeating her actions from the morning.

His eyes close as she does this, and Sakura takes the chance to press kisses to both of his eyelids. Then onto his nose, each of his cheeks, and finally his lips.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-kun," she breathes, and even though it's been months since he returned, it seems fitting to say so now.

He watches her for a moment, eyes scanning her features, and then smirks softly.

"Aa."

* * *

"Anzei."

Solemn gold eyes lift from reading a book. The older ninja looks the Uchiha up and down before sighing.

"What is it, Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke opens his mouth, and, just when it seems like he's not going to continue, he says quietly, "I kissed her. Sakura, I mean."

Twin blonde eyebrows raise. "I know, Uchiha-san. I was part of your guard that night. I watched."

Sasuke's not quite sure how to respond to this, so he remains silent.

"Congratulations," the blonde drawls, turning his attention back to his book. "I'm assuming Sakura's happy?"

Sasuke pauses, then nods.

"Well, as long as she's content," Anzei continues, his eyes flashing from word to word on the page. "Be good to her, okay?"

"I will." The words are said with promise.

Anzei smiles minutely. "As long as you do that, I'll leave you alone." He flips the page, and his smile widens. "I hope you don't mind a bit of shameless flirting is we're ever paired together on a mission, though. She's fun to tease."

Sasuke stiffens, and the older shinobi laughs.

"I'll keep it light, don't worry." His golden gaze locks with Sasuke's once more, and this time he's serious. "She loves you, Uchiha-san. Don't do something to make her regret it." Then he's back to his book, one hand casually shooing the Uchiha away. "Off you go, now. Leave me be in my state of heartbreak."

Sasuke stands still for a moment, contemplating, before he spins on his heel and walks away.

Anzei smiles grimly down at his book, and shakes his head.

"Lucky bastard."

* * *

**A/N: **And thus marks the end of this little story. I quite enjoyed writing it, and I hope you were able to enjoy reading it as well. It was nice for me to get away from the angst for a while. :)

Spare me a review, ne?

Please and thank you,

Silver Echo


End file.
